A
brief History of Railways

by
Olav Naess

The
Beginning

The
railways developed gradually from road transport when paved roads
were first replaced by wooden rails, then wooden rail protected by
iron on the top, and finally steel rails. This evolution occurred
mainly in mines, for transporting the heavy ores and coal.

When
this technology was adapted for railway use outside mines, steam
engines were used for pulling trains, and these were rolling on steel
rails placed on levelled ground. The locomotives were so heavy that
the trains were naturally adopted for transporting heavy goods, and
passenger wagons, made of heavy steel and wood, were regarded as a
natural part of this heavy transport system.

The
split-wagon monorail patented by Henry Robinson Palmer in 1821. This
historical
rail system was built for transporting bricks in Cheshunt,
England, in 1825. (Another)

The
first useful railways (between cities)came
in England around 1830, and soon followed in other countries. When
electric motors came about 1900, the engines became so light that
real passenger trains could be built. That is: Trains with a weight
adapted to the weight of the passengers could bebuilt.
This happened in Wuppertal,
Germany, where a railway line was built above the river and city
streets in 1901.

The
Mental Blocks

It
had now been demonstrated that multi-level ground transport could be
achieved if the light-weight transport – with passengers, mail
and other light goods – were elevated above the ground traffic.
Transport of these light parts is more urgent, so the need for this
traffic separation should be obvious.

But
the habit of mixing passenger and heavy freight was now so ingrained
that its consequences were not rationally analyzed. Trains running
along steel beams (called monorails, sometimes beamway trains) were
regarded as curiosities, and this emotional attitude blocks rational
thinking.

Shaping
of the Habit

Railways
first developed in quite flat countries having large population
densities. The flatness meant that heavy trains on the ground were
acceptable. The trains were rather slow, so it could be assumed that
humans and animals could get out of the way when those noisy trains
were approaching. At that time – almost two centuries ago –
there was little concern for wild animals.

As
train speeds (and concerns for safety) increased, it was often found
necessary to fence in the tracks. Railway lines would then become
barriers for extended lengths. These barriers – and the
placements of crossings – fit quite well into a pattern of
property fencing which may be regarded as indicating a rather feudal
society.

Those
working with railway technology have now become so locked into
single-level passenger+freight thinking that they are unable to
consider multi-level ground transport.

When
high-speed train lines are planned, the need for heavy freight there
is not questioned. The experts used as consultants are committed to
combined freight and passenger railways.

Arrested
Development

When
the Wuppertal monorail was built over a river and streets in 1901, a
parallel budding progress occurred in car technology. Electric cars
were then quite common, but the need for fast cars with a long range
was stronger than a battery performance progress that could have
amended the situation, so electric cars nearly vanished for almost a
century. The oil industry was also much stronger than governmental
and other environmental initiatives for improving the environment.

Pseudo-future
trains

When
development of future technology is uncritically based on outdated
thinking, our society goes backwards into a messy future.

Those
developing high-speed maglev
trains should be aware that this is for transporting people, and
it is very unwise to base this new technology on the old ground-based
freight trains for 10-15 times heavier loads. High speed operation on
the ground level is imperiled by many disturbing factors.